6 minute read
Houthis escalate rhetoric on social media
from MONITOR 32
Yemen’s Houthis are using social media to promote their message to the world. Middle East specialist Florence Dixon looks at how their social media output has evolved since 7 October.
The Houthis’ media arm is shaping the group’s message to the world as it continues to cause high-impact disruption in the Red Sea. A video campaign propagated via social media has moved from expressing solidarity with Palestinians to portraying the Houthis as the only regional force taking action against Israel. In turn, it is positioning the group as a key actor as the conflict in the Red Sea expands to new frontiers, taking on the USA and its allies.
Banned on Meta platforms such as Facebook, the rebels primarily use X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram to carry out their online campaign, much of which consists of daily, short, promotional-style videos.
All three channels have gained subscribers since the escalation in the Red Sea
Houthis find Telegram to be an effective and unrestrictive platform
These videos are first posted on the Telegram channel of the group’s Creative Production Unit (CPU) – an offshoot of the group’s official Yemen Military Media (MMY) accounts – and are subsequently reshared by MMY and other key accounts, such as that of Houthi-aligned musician Issa Al-Laith.
All three channels have gained subscribers since the escalation in the Red Sea, indicating that like other armed groups in the region the Houthis find Telegram to be an effective and unrestrictive platform for the effective distribution of their message.
Videos frequently featured recognisable footage from the Hamas attacks
The Houthi videos exhibit the hallmarks of high-value production. They are uniformly available in 1080p high definition, with the majority including original songs, high-quality sound effects, slick transitions and drone footage. The CPU is also adept at subtitling and branding each video to maximise impact and recognition as they are shared across social networks.
Warning to Israel and its allies
Since 7 October last year, the CPU has shifted its focus to videos that both display solidarity with Palestinian factions and civilians while warning Israel and its allies of retaliation.
This solidarity/threat formula is evident in one of the most-watched videos over the period (181K Telegram views) from 11 December, entitled “The Temporary Entity”, a reference to Israel’s destruction. The video features footage of the aftermath of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and footage of international summits, including the Saudi-hosted Arab League summit on Gaza, narrated by song lyrics despairing at Israeli “crimes” and the inaction of the Arab world.
It then shows clips of Hamas’s 7 October attacks mixed in a montage of pro-Palestinian marches in Yemen, Houthi rocket and drone launches, Houthi forces on the Red Sea coast and a CGI clip simulating an atomic bomb being dropped on Israel.
Attacks on shipping
Several key trends derive directly from the Houthis’ launch of attacks on shipping in mid-November, which the CPU has used to reinforce its messaging in subsequent video content.
Predictably, the group has frequently incorporated real clips of its attacks on ships since its capture of the Galaxy Leader in November. Prior to this, videos often featured clips of missile launches towards Israel where surroundings were blurred to avoid geolocation and the target not being directly shown, arguably reducing their visual impact. In contrast, the attacks with missiles and by combat troops on ships in the Red Sea are shown in greater detail and build a more effective narrative of Houthi naval capabilities.
Similarly, from mid-November, the clips used for videos were increasingly set at sea, arguably an attempt to associate Houthi forces with naval and sea-faring prowess, showing for example the Galaxy Leader’s capture, or patrols or training exercises by wetsuit-clad Houthi forces adeptly manoeuvring small boats or praying on the beach. A handful of these also incorporated CGI of ships caught in large waves coming under Houthi attack, while others included music and dance performances on the deck of the Galaxy Leader itself.
From solidarity to direct action
The shift in the Houthi message from solidarity to direct action – and from supporters to direct players – is also reflected in the footage used. Directly after 7 October, the videos frequently featured recognisable footage from the Hamas attacks, such as paragliders and gunmen breaching the Gaza security barrier. This saw a significant shift from 19 November, when the Houthis’ own footage of missile and combat attacks on Red Sea vessels become the focus of a majority of videos.
Video titles reflect this shift too, with “We are the flood”, “The raging sea” and “Sea flood” released in the two weeks after attacks on ships began. These titles play on Hamas’s al-Aqsa Flood – a term used verbatim in CPU videos immediately after 7 October.
Notably, in mid-October when the Houthis first claimed to have launched missiles at Israel, titles such as “I am Gaza, fire and victory”, “Time of unity” and “You’re not alone”, underlined their solidarity with the Palestinians.
“You’re not alone” was also used as a hashtag for CPU videos on Telegram from 14 October to 28 November. From 4 January, in line with Houthi officials and supporters online, CPU began using the hashtag “The battle of the promised conquest and holy jihad”, a widely-used Houthi reference for the ship attacks.
Since then, Houthi videos have increasingly turned their focus to threatening the USA – its adversary on the new Red Sea battlefront – as well as Israel – with titles such as “Let there be direct war with the Americans” and “America is in real trouble”.
